December 11, 2010 - The Oregon Public Health Division is worried about a new trend: Increasing numbers of Oregon teenagers and young adults are trying out water pipes with flavored tobaccos called shisha (Hookah, Hooka, Shisha or Sheesha, and Narghile) and socializing in hookah lounges where smoking is the main activity.

So far, the statewide hookah bar scene is concentrated heavily in the Portland area.

Stephanie Young-Peterson, tobacco prevention coordinator for Lane County, says the proliferation of hookah bars and lounges happens because of a loophole in Oregon’s smoke-free workplace law. “These places are using the ‘smoke shop exemption’ in order to become certified to allow smoking on their premises,” Young-Peterson said. “The exemption says that if 75 percent of the gross revenue of the business comes from the sale of tobacco products and smoking instruments, smoking inside the building can be allowed.”

Other requirements imposed on smoke shops by state law include prohibiting entry to people younger than 18, posting signs at every entrance and exit stating that smoking occurs somewhere on the premises, not allowing lottery or other social games or betting, not selling alcoholic beverages and being a stand-alone business not attached to any other buildings.The original smoke shop exemption was intended to accommodate old-fashioned cigar and tobacco shops “where someone occasionally might want to try a sample” but not linger there specifically to smoke, Young-Peterson said. “But these new businesses understand the exemption and know how to get around it. They’re creating a bar or club atmosphere that targets 18- to 25-year-olds — and even younger kids because research shows they’re not really enforcing the age limits — and that’s what creates so much concern.

From 2008 to 2009, cigarette use had dropped by about 1 percent among 11th-graders in Oregon, according to a clean air compliance study by the Oregon Tobacco Prevention and Education Program of the state Public Health Division. During the same period, hookah use jumped by 3 percent. As part of the study, the Environmental Protection Agency sent people with monitoring equipment into 10 hookah lounges to take air samples; peak fine particle air pollution levels ranged from unhealthy to very unhealthy and, in one case, hazardous.

The come-on to the younger crowd is unmistakable, based on many lounges’ online presentations. Al Narah’s Hookah Lounge Website opens to a golden orange page with a picture of a long-haired woman, seen from the back, arms raised above her head and hands pressed together. A series of messages flash past ending with, “We invite you to enter a place filled with exotic and seductive aroma.”

“[Rheumatoid arthritis] epidemiology has been largely understudied in the African-American population, Ted Mikuls, MD, MSPH, a lead author of the study, stated in a press release. “The aim of our study was to bridge the knowledge gap by determining whether smoking contributes to RA risk in African-Americans and define the extent to which this association is affected by genetic risk.”

The study evaluated 605 participants with RA and 255 healthy controls from the Consortium for the Longitudinal Evaluations of African-Americans with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (CLEAR) I and CLEAR II study groups. The investigators analyzed smoking status, cumulative smoking exposure and genetic risk factors. The risk of RA is reportedly more pronounced among individuals positive for the HLA-DRB1 shared epitope (SE), according to the press release.Dr. Mikuls stated: “We found a two-fold increase in RA risk among African-Americans who were heavy smokers, and this risk increased to more than fourfold in the presence of SE alleles. Our results suggest that roughly one in six new cases of RA occurring in African-Americans could be prevented through smoking cessation or by limiting cumulative smoking exposure to less than 10 pack-years.

African American: Statistics on Health Disparities Among African Americans Among African Americans, as with other U.S. populations, the prevalence of smoking declines as education level increases. In 2008, smoking rates were over 3.4 times higher among African American males over age 25 who had less than a high school education (34.5%) compared to those with a college education (10.1%). Smoking rates are also much higher in African American females over age 25 years old who have less than a high school education (23.2%) compared to those with a college education (9.5%) (African Americans, American Lung Association)

December 10, 2010 - Tourists from China, Korea and Indonesia are likely to be dismayed at a new order banning smoking outdoors at Phuket's popular Cape Promthep and around the lagoon at nearby Nai Harn. In a progressive move towards better health, Phuket's first ban on smoking in an outdoor area will go into action from January 1, 2011. The notion is to prevent non-smokers inhaling smoke or deadly air exhaled by smokers.

People who puff despite the ban will incur a 2000 baht (66.51 USD) fine. However, the countries where Phuket has most to lose also happen to be the ones showing a greatest increase in arrivals: China, Indonesia, Korea, and Russia. Only in Russia are authorities reacting, producing packs with ''smoking kills'' warnings this year for the first time.

Click to enlarge..December 10, 2010 - As of January 1, 2011, smoking will be banned in indoor workplaces and public places in Ukraine, however the law allows for these areas to have designated smoking rooms. The haze of smoke that greets visitors to many Kyiv restaurants could soon clear a bit as authorities plan next year to introduce a new recommendation to encourage restaurants, cafes and bars to restrict smoking to closed-off rooms.

The move to clean up Kyiv’s restaurants – most of which currently allow smoking – has been championed by public health advocates and non-smokers. But experts say that the measure falls short. Health officials say that only a complete ban on indoor smoking in public places can prevent the damage caused by inhaling second-hand smoke, a major cause of disease and premature death for non-smokers. The medical consensus is that there is no safe level of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke.

Moreover, many nations that have adopted stiff indoor smoking bans have found them to be successful and popular, while not harming businesses such as restaurants and pubs. Smokers, in short, adjust to the restrictions and even smoke less – which polls show most of them want to do anyway.A new law has been passed that bans smoking at bus stops and underground crossings and requires all restaurants to designate at least half of their space for non-smokers, but this law is not yet being enforced, and people's behavior has changed little.

The Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) has approved in principle a bill to ban advertising, sponsorship and promotion of sale of tobacco products. The document is aimed at bringing the Law on Advertising, Law on Measures to Prevent and Reduce Tobacco Use and its Harmful Effects on Human Health and the Code of Administrative Offences in line with the WHO Tobacco Convention on Tobacco Control, ratified by the Ukrainian parliament on March 15, 2006.

In particular, MPs (Members of Parliament) propose a ban on all tobacco advertising, and advertising of signs for the goods and services, and other objects of intellectual property law under which these products are produced.Additionally, it is also expected to ban sponsorship of television and radio programmes, theater and concert, sports and other activities with using signs for goods and services, and other objects of intellectual property law under which tobacco products are manufactured, except for advertising in specialized publications and special exhibitions.

The lawmakers also want that the advertising of any goods or services must contain no images of tobacco products or the process of their smoking.

On September 27, Ukraine released its Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) results.Highlights from the GATS Ukraine survey are as follows:* In Ukraine 28.8 percent of adults (11.5 million) currently smoke tobacco (50.0 percent men; 11.2 percent women).* Although 86.3 percent of adults believe inhaling other people's smoke causes serious illness, 32.8 percent of adults inhaled secondhand smoke daily or almost daily. In the venues of restaurants or cafes, 64.1 percent were exposed to secondhand smoke. (Note: As of January 1, 2011, smoking will be banned in indoor workplaces and public places in Ukraine, however the law allows for these areas to have designated smoking rooms.)* 45.1 percent of adults noticed cigarette marketing in advertisements, sponsorship, or promotions. Though tobacco advertising is banned on television, radio and on outdoor billboards in Ukraine, other forms of marketing are allowed, including tobacco sponsorship and promotion.* 67.9 of current smokers are interested in quitting and 40.5 percent of smokers attempted to quit in the past year.

Every year some 100,000 Ukrainians die prematurely from diseases caused by smoking. The Ukrainian Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports estimate that 68% of young boys and 64% of girls drink alcohol.

Meanwhile, according to surveys conducted this autumn, the Ukrainians have been massively giving up smoking. For example, in 2005 as many as 62% of men smoked daily, and in 2010 - 45%, while the number of female smokers for 5 years decreased by almost half - from 17% to 9%.

Economics of Tobacco Taxation in Ukraine - 2008: "If tax represents 70 percent of the retail price, the number of smokers would decline by almost 2 million, and about 1 million tobacco-related deaths would be avoided. At the same time, the government would collect an additional UAH 5.8 billion (US$ 1.2 billion) in excise tax revenue per year."

The problem is how to manage 3,800 tobacco cases when each one will take a year to get to trial and another two to three weeks to try. By one Jacksonville lawyer’s estimate, the process will take 760 years. So Tuesday, December 7th tobacco company attorneys and lawyers for thousands of sick smokers met with the two federal judges overseeing the cases to discuss ways to move the process along.

“It’s a huge number of cases for us to be trying to deal with on top of our regular criminal and civil caseload,” said U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan. “We’re going to do the best we can. We understand these are important matters to the people involved. But our resources are limited.”

The cases are the result of a 2006 Florida Supreme Court decision that broke up a state class-action lawsuit after a jury awarded smokers $145 billion for specified illnesses resulting from their addiction. The court gave sick smokers a year to file individual claims against tobacco companies. (Cigarette Makers Face Thousands of New Florida Lawsuits..)

At the Duval County Courthouse, where about 600 state claims are pending, Chief Circuit Judge Donald Moran has appointed a judge to oversee nothing but the tobacco docket. Circuit Judge Charles Arnold can call in other state judges to help with trials.Corrigan and U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard asked the attorneys Tuesday for suggestions on expediting the claims, but answers were hard to come by. The only thing the two sides agreed on was to schedule 10 cases for trial to get the ball rolling. But they don’t agree on which 10 cases. An initial list has changed, Wilner said, because some of his clients have died without survivors.

Kenneth Reilly, attorney for Philip Morris USA, told the judges any proposal would have to take into account the tobacco companies’ right to defend themselves.

Wilner proposed bringing in a special master, but Reilly said the tobacco companies oppose that idea because special masters usually try to broker a global settlement, which isn’t an option for his clients. Wilner also has proposed dropping 499 of his federal claims and trying them in state court, he said. The tobacco companies accused him of shopping for the possibility of a more favorable outcome.

December 9, 2010 - Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq declared Thursday, December 9th the federal government is "not in bed with big tobacco" — and pledged to unveil an aggressive anti-smoking communications strategy within weeks that may include bigger and more graphic health warnings on cigarette packages.

Aglukkaq made the comments after a rough day of testimony at parliamentary hearings on why the Conservative government has yet to follow through on a long-running plan — first conceived in 2004 and almost unveiled earlier this year — to force tobacco companies to update health warnings.

"I have not shelved that project," Aglukkaq told reporters, saying she wanted to re-examine the entire anti-tobacco marketing plan so a social media component could be developed."You can't just put all your resources into one initiative. It has to be much broader. A lot has changed since the studies were conducted. We now have Twitter. We now have Facebook. We have a number of social media outlets that we can make use of."

The health minister reiterated the same message in the House of Commons, after the NDP (New Democratic Party of Canada) and Liberals wanted to know why the labelling renewal project was stalled. According to departmental records introduced this week to the health committee of the House of Commons, Health Canada informed Imperial Tobacco in May that the project was "suspended."

"The government had a choice to tell big tobacco to get lost. It had a choice to put the health of Canadians ahead of the commercial interests of big tobacco," added Liberal health critic Ujjal Dosanjh.

Aglukkaq shot back, saying the federal government "is committed to reducing youth smoking, helping Canadians quit smoking, and addressing the pressure of contraband tobacco. We are taking action. Shortly after the election, we introduced tobacco legislation which is now in effect, so we are demonstrating our leadership in this area."

"Provincial and territorial governments remain puzzled as to why the initiative to renew health warnings was stopped at the last minute with no consultation. The background work on this initiative . . . had been completed, and there was no hint of concern or reluctance on the part of Health Canada officials as that work progressed," testified Dr. Robert Strang of Nova Scotia's Department of Health Promotion and Protection.

More comments from tobacco control professionals on why they can not understand why the update of pictorial warnings was halted. - see 1st reference.

There's certainly good reason to discourage people from smoking. The Canadian Cancer Society says on average, 395 Canadians will die from lung cancer every week. Health Canada says cigarette smoking is the single most important preventable cause of lung cancer, accounting for 85 per cent of all new cases of lung cancer in Canada.

Besides the human cost, the Campaign for a Smoke-Free Alberta website notes that each year, tobacco use costs the Canadian economy an estimated $17 billion and the Alberta economy $1.8 billion. Additional societal costs arise from lost income due to premature death, disability, worker absenteeism, reduced productivity, and tobacco subsidies. "In fact, it has been estimated that it costs employers about $2,565 more annually to employ a smoker than to employ a non-smoker," says the website.

December 9, 2010 - Children who breathe secondhand smoke (shs, passive smoking, environmental tobacco smoke, ets, involuntary smoking, sidestream smoke) are more likely to struggle with mental health problems, especially hyperactivity and "bad" behavior, according to the study, published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

"We know that exposure to secondhand smoke is associated with a lot of physical health problems in children, although the mental health side has not been explored," Mark Hamer of University College London told Reuters Health in an e-mail.

In the United States, two of every three children between the ages of three and 11 are exposed to secondhand smoke. Meanwhile, one in five children aged nine to 17 have been diagnosed with some kind of mental or addictive disorder, according to the U.S. department of Health and Human Services.

Hamer and his colleagues studied 901 nonsmoking British children between the ages of 4 to 8, measuring levels of a byproduct of cigarette fumes in the childrens' saliva to gauge smoke exposure and having parents fill out a questionnaire about the childrens' emotional, behavioral and social problems. The more secondhand smoke a child took in, on average, the poorer their mental health -- particularly for hyperactivity and conduct disorder, or so-called "bad" behavior, the study said.Overall, about three percent of all children received "abnormal" scores of 20 or more on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, a 40-point scale with the highest scores representing the poorest mental health.Compared to the 101 children who breathed in the least secondhand smoke, the 361 with the most exposure scored an average of 44 percent higher on the questionnaire -- 9.2 versus 6.4. Children were most likely to breathe secondhand smoke in their own homes.

The gap remained after researchers accounted for other factors that could affect mental health such as asthma, physical activity and the families' income and housing situations, although they noted that some unmeasured factor also couldn't be ruled out.

Michael Weitzman at New York University Medical Center, who was not involved in the study, said the results strengthen the evidence that secondhand smoke, and possibly prenatal exposure to tobacco, causes mental health problems in children. "Many people now recognize that childrens' secondhand smoke exposure increases their risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, ear infections and asthma," he told Reuters Health in an e-mail. "But secondhand smoke also poses a huge burden on the quality of life of children, their families and the larger society due to increased child mental health problems."

December 9, 2010 -Bulgaria's Health Minister Prepares Concept for Better Healthcare.. Health Minister, Dr. Stefan Konstantinov, as part of the better health care program announced he will work for implementing full smoking ban on public places.

Konstantinov said he was preparing a legislative amendment that he hoped would be backed by the majority of the parliament.

Bulgaria briefly implemented a smoking ban on June 1 but, owing to fears about its negative effects on an already troubled economy, the ban was replaced by restrictions that allowed smoking in separate, designated sections of railroad stations, airports, ports and bus stations, and within separate sections of large restaurants, bars and coffee shops. Owners of restaurants, clubs and coffee shops of less than 50 square meters in size were free to decide whether or not to allow smoking.

Till then, the ineffective pictorial warnings of the scorpion, lung x-ray and diseased lungs will stay on tobacco packs. The decision to defer use of scarier pictorial warnings on cigarette and bidi packs till December 2011 hasn't gone down well with civil society. The black scorpion on bidi packs and cancer-affected lungs on cigarette packets was to be replaced by a more graphic cancerous mouth in keeping with a ministry of health and family welfare notification. The pictorial warnings are to be rotated every year.

Tobacco majors have argued that they have large unsold stocks and must be allowed to expend these before the warnings are changed. They threatened to maintain the current halt on fresh production -- a move that can impact the labour intensive industry including cultivators. Tobacco companies have also demanded the duration of any set of pictorial warnings must be for two-three years instead of just a year. According to agency reports, the tobacco firms may now restart production. Activists accused the Cabinet of taking a "partisan stand and giving into the arm-twisting tactics of the tobacco industry giants such as ITC (formerly Indian Tobacco Company) and GPI (Godfrey Phillips India Ltd.), choosing to ignore the public health".Calling the decision shocking and unexpected, public health advocates, civil society and tobacco control activists condemned the government for buckling under pressure from the tobacco industry yet again. Activists have strongly decried the arbitrary backtracking by the government and blatant disregard to the Supreme Court's directive of implementing the packaging and labelling rules, including the rotation of pack warnings every 12 months.

"This is yet another promise broken, leading to a complete loss of confidence and faith in the current leadership. Even the Supreme Court in the gutka case ruling on Tuesday pointed out that the government has been a mute spectator in the fight against the tobacco industry, whose products are creating a huge public health menace," said Alok Mukhopadhyay, chief executive of Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI).

Research -- published in the New England Journal of Medicine -- shows that smoking kills nearly 1 million Indians a year, or one in 10 of all deaths from any cause. Nearly 70% of smoking deaths occur at productive working ages -- and more than half among illiterates. Smokers of cigarrates -- that contain about four times more tobacco than bidis -- lose about eight years of life as compared to six years for bidi smokers.

December 9, 2010 - On Thursday, December 9, 2010, Surgeon General Regina Benjamin announced the publication of “How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease.” This report reveals new scientific findings about how deadly cigarettes are and how quickly they can damage your body. The report claims even one cigarette or inhaling someone else’s second-hand smoke could block your arteries and provoke an immediate heart attack.

Though lung cancer takes years to develop, poisoning from tobacco smoke and damage at the cellular level begins immediately as over 7000 chemicals spread through the body with every puff.

Surgeon General Regina Benjamin warned “one puff on that cigarette could be the one that causes your heart attack”. She also said that it could trigger someone else’s. “I advise people to try to avoid being around smoking any way that you can.”

Over 440,000 Americans die from tobacco-caused diseases every year. Approximately 20% of all adults smoke (46 million) and countless millions are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke. The government goal of dropping the smoking rate to 12 percent by this year is way off and has been revised as the goal for 2020.

December 9, 2010 - The prevalence of smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke among men in France has fallen by more than 15 per cent since the mid 1980s, but over the same 20-year period has increased among women.

As a result, investigators from the World Health Organization French MONICA (MONItoring trends and determinants in CArdiovascular disease) centre say the divergent smoking trends predict changes in death rates from coronary heart disease in French men and women since 1985 - estimated as a decline in men of 10-15 per cent, but an increase among women of 0.1-3.6 per cent.

ABSTRACT:Aims: The aim of this study was to assess trends in the prevalence of adult smoking habits between 1985–1987 and 2005–2007 in three distinct areas of France and their contribution to coronary heart disease (CHD) death rates.

Methods: Participants were recruited as part of the French Monitoring trends and determinants in Cardiovascular disease survey in 1985–1987 (n=3760), 1995–1997 (n=3347), and 2005–2007 (n=3573). They were randomly selected from electoral rolls after stratification for sex, 10-year age group (35–64 years), and town size. Smoking habits were analyzed by questioning the participants about earlier or current consumption, the number of cigarettes smoked per day, age at first cigarette, pipe tobacco and cigarillo consumption, quit attempts, age at quitting, and second-hand exposure. Predicted CHD death rates as a function of smoking were predicted with the SCORE risk equation.

Results: In men, a significant decrease in tobacco exposure (from 40 to 24.3%) between 1985–1987 and 2005–2007 was observed. In women, the prevalence of current smokers increased from 18.9 to 20% and that of former smokers rose from 8.7 to 25.5%. In both men and women, average daily cigarette consumption and second-hand exposure to smoke fell between 1995–1997 and 2005–2007. Predicted CHD death rates as a function of smoking trends decreased in men (range 10–15%) but increased in women (range 0.1–3.6%).

Conclusion: This study found divergent trends in the prevalence of smoking in men and women aged between 35 and 64 years over the period of 1985 to 2007. These changes may have contributed to the decline in CHD death in men but not in women.Commenting on the results of the study investigator Dr Jean Dallongeville from the INSERM Institut Pasteur in Lille, France, said: "Men have reduced their exposure to tobacco from 40 to 24.3 per cent, representing a predicted fall in deaths from coronary heart disease. By contrast, women have increased their exposure resulting in a rise in the predicted heart disease death estimate. These results, he said, may partly explain the decline in coronary heart disease mortality in men over the study period, but not seen in women, but he acknowledged the effect of other factors on trends in heart disease mortality.

CVD (cardiovascular disease) is the main cause of death in women in all countries of Europe and is the main cause of death in men in all countries except France, the Netherlands and Spain. (Cardiovascular disease in Europe, European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation: August 2009)

December 9, 2010 - The explosion which caused the Gulf of Mexico oil spill took place shortly after a man who was monitoring vital safety equipment decided to leave his workstation for a cigarette break. Joseph E Keith, an employee of the Halliburton subsidiary Sperry Sun, told investigators that he failed to realise that the well was filling with dangerous levels of crude oil and natural gas because he was in the canteen, having a smoke and a cup of coffee.

By the time Mr Keith had resumed watching his monitors, which were tracking pressure levels on the Deepwater Horizon rig, the safety gauges had returned to normal, according to testimony he gave to the joint Coast Guard-Interior Department panel in Houston.

Not long afterwards, a huge explosion on the BP rig killed 11 people, injured 17 others, and caused oil to begin leaking into the Gulf. Over the ensuing three months, some 206 million gallons were released, in what is believed to be the worst accidental spill in history.

Tarbox, who died of lung cancer in 2003 at 41 years old, spent her final days as the poster child for Alberta's anti-smoking movement. Before she was confined to a hospital bed, Tarbox spent almost every waking moment lecturing students and working for anti-smoking groups.

A similar health warning using the same photo of Tarbox was recently proposed for American cigarette packages by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Her husband Pat Tarbox: "It is very disheartening to know that Barb's warning may not see the light of day in Canada while (possibly) appearing on millions of cigarette packages in the United States."

Pat Tarbox said the image of his wife in her final moments is the first time a real person would be used on cigarette packaging, and that it's a message that will reach children and adults. Meanwhile, he's calling on all Canadians to contact the Prime Minister's office or Health Canada to get the issue back on the agenda.

December 8, 2010 - After more than six years of study, design and focus groups, the federal government has halted its plan to require tobacco companies to update the warnings on the side of cigarette packages with larger and more grotesque images.Health Canada told provinces and territories attending a closed-door meeting in Newfoundland two weeks ago that its tobacco strategy will instead concentrate on the problem of contraband cigarettes, an issue that has been highlighted by the tobacco industry.

Development of new labels - according to a document from Health Canada detailing the total estimated expenditures reveals that the ministry spent $3.15 million on public opinion research, contracts and other miscellaneous expenses. The government also spent $496,000 to develop a national Quitline, a 1-800 number that would appear on cigarette packages.

The new labels were supposed to increase in size from 50 per cent to 75 per cent of each cigarette package.

In 2000, Canada became the first country to put graphic warning labels on cigarette packages. In the years since, many other countries, including Uruguay and Mexico, have brought in warnings that are far more graphic and disturbing than Canada’s — and cover up to 80 per cent of the package. "The problem with Canada … is that we’ve had the same warnings on packs for almost 10 years now," said Dave Hammond, a professor at the University of Waterloo who consulted for Health Canada on the development of the new labels. "We’ve fallen off the pace. What were once the best warnings in the world are now looking stale and very old. "We don’t run the same TV advertisement for 10 years," said Hammond. "Nor should you have the same health warning for 10 years."

December 8, 2010 - The nation's largest smokeless tobacco company agreed to settle for $5 million a lawsuit brought by the family of a decades-long user who died of mouth cancer at age 42. The settlement—which was reached a while ago but recently finalized in court—is highly unusual because experts say that no jury verdict has ever been rendered against the tobacco industry for harm allegedly caused by smokeless tobacco, which users place between their lips and gums.

The lawsuit accused UST Inc. of wrongful death in the 2003 demise of Bobby Hill, a 42-year-old North Carolina man who had started using Skoal and Copenhagen—the company's flagship brands—at age 13.

UST was acquired by Altria Group Inc. last year. An Altria spokesman said that the settlement was reached before Altria's acquisition of UST and that Altria "was honoring the terms." The spokesman added, "We have no intention of settling cases like these in the future."

In a regulatory filing, Altria said other such suits are pending against UST. It isn't clear how many suits are pending.

Plaintiff attorney Antonio Ponvert III said Mr. Hill became addicted in the 1970s, a time when smokeless products carried no health warnings. "The fact that he was addicted as a child took away any personal responsibility defense, and the absence of any label meant they couldn't say, 'We warned you,"' said Mr. Ponvert.Key evidence.. Among the evidence that Mr. Ponvert obtained during discovery were about 60 letters from children to UST. He said the letters, written in the 1970s and 1980s, came from authors who identified themselves as child users of smokeless tobacco. In some cases, the children asked the company to keep its prices low so that they could continue affording it. Mr. Ponvert said the company's letters back to the children often included free cans of smokeless tobacco. "And this was at a time when there was federal and state legislation prohibiting the sale of tobacco to minors," Mr. Ponvert said. (Plaintiffs’ attorneys Antonio Ponvert III and Christopher Bernard had to wade through a half-million pages of tobacco company documents during the discovery process.)

Altria wouldn't comment on the letters, the rationale behind UST's decision to settle or any other events preceding Altria's acquisition of UST last year.

Since the late 1980s, smokeless tobacco has carried a warning label. And since June of this year, smokeless products must rotate through the following warnings: This product can cause mouth cancer; This product can cause gum disease and tooth loss; This product is not a safe alternative to cigarettes; Smokeless tobacco is addictive.

In one case that went to trial back in the 1980s, involving a teenage user of smokeless tobacco who died of mouth cancer, a jury ruled in favor of UST.

The settlement comes as the tobacco industry tries to weaken proposals for tougher warning labels on its products and markets chewing tobacco as a less harmful alternative to cigarettes, Ponvert said.

Mark Gottlieb, director of the Tobacco Products Liability Project at Northeastern University in Boston, said he believes it's the first case of its kind and predicted more lawsuits involving smokeless tobacco.

December 7, 2010 - The City Health Services Office (HSO), in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH-CAR) launched the advocacy on the Environmentally Sustainable Healthy Urban Transport (ESHUT) and the 100% Smoke-free Baguio City during the flag raising ceremony at the City Hall Grounds last Monday, December 5th.

City Health officer Dr. Florence Reyes stressed that the advocacy is in line with Republic Act 9211 or the Clean Air Act and the Comprehensive Anti-smoking ordinance of Baguio. 'If Davao and Roxas can make their city smoking-free, then we can also do it here in Baguio,' Reyes said.

The ordinance bans smoking in all public places, including pedestrian overpasses and public utility vehicles, but some councilors said that the law has not been enforced to the letter. In fact, many city employees sneaked out of City Hall for cigarette breaks when the program was being reintroduced.

City HSO chief epidemiologist Dr. Donna Tubera affirmed that six of the top 10 leading causes of death in the city are smoking related including lung cancer, colon cancer, cardiovascular diseases, heart diseases, pneumonia and bronchitis. Study shows also shows that there is no safe level of second hand smoke. Though we have enough laws to protect us from such hazard, a concerted effort from all sector of society is still needed for the advocacy, Tubera stressed.

In line with the advocacy, the HSO will be tapping the assistance of the government agencies, the transport sector, the academe and the communities through the 128 barangays in achieving a 100% smoke free Baguio City.

The campaign will also involve the posting of no-smoking signs and the use of the graphical warning signs on all public utility vehicles and terminals, government agencies, including the city government offices. According to Tubera, studies have proven that the posting of no-smoking signs shows a 50 percent (smokers-quitting) effectivity rate.

Cigarette firms have objected to a Department of Health directive that requires them to post graphic photos of lung cancer victims on the packs or boxes of their tobacco products. (At the Republic level there is an ongoing battle to get graphic warnings on cigarette packs.) Reyes said the government also rejected an offer made by a top cigarette firm to donate ash trays that distill cigarette smoke in areas designated as smoking zones. “We do not want to dilute our program by sending the wrong signals. We can't have a cigarette company run our anti-smoking drive,” she said.

Teenagers belonging to the group “Saleng” have been touring a skit about the impact of smoking on a man they call “Mr. X.” Local officials said the images they display could be used as template for the anti-smoking posters. The group flashed pictures of Mr. X's psoriasis (a chronic skin disease characterized by red patches and scales) at age 21, his stomach ulcers at 22, and his underdeveloped sperm cell, resulting in infertility at 25. They also held up pictures of Mr. X's premature aging at 27, his osteoporosis at 38, and his lung cancer at 40. These images form the “smoker's body,” which Reyes described as “a monster's body.References: Baguio launches ESHUT, "100% Smoke Free Baguio City" campaign by Lito Dar, Philippine Information Agency (PIA), 12/7/2010; Baguio to show graphic images of cancer illness to discourage smokingby Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon, Inquirer.net, 12/7/2010.

December 7, 2010 - Michael Kirk Douglas, a U.S. actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards, first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2009.

A nebuliser is a device used to administer medication in the form of a mist inhaled into the lungs. The e-cigarette consists of a battery, a heating element and a cartridge that contains a liquid suspension with nicotine. When a user inhales from the cartridge, the liquid is heated and the vaporized liquid can be inhaled. How can both not be devices to administer a substance? Nicotine is a highly addicting, highly toxic substance that has been shown to enhance the growth of an existing cancer and also, in itself is carcinogenic. (PAPER: Nicotine in cigarettes linked to breast cancer..)

The e-cigarettes user inhales various flavors of nicotine (that may isolated from tobacco or synthetically made). The Halo Electronic Cigarettes web site states that Chinese smoke juice (nicotine) is notorious for being manufactured using Pesticide-Grade Nicotine, and Industrial-Grade Propylene Glycol. These contaminated ingredients pose an increasing and unnecessary risk to electronic cigarette users throughout the world. More from Halo: The e-liquid industry is flooded with inferior made juice from overseas, from companies that care little about the safety of their customers. It is notorious for being manufactured using inferior grades of Nicotine, Glycerin and Propylene Glycol. These low-grade ingredients pose an increasing and unnecessary risk to electronic cigarette users throughout the world.

The federal appellate court's opinion is an embarrassment for the United States and a set back for the effort to prevent youngsters from becoming nicotine addicts never able to reach their full potential. The New York State Assembly has voted overwhelmingly 125-0 to ban e-cigarettes [e-cigs]; a product which has already been banned in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Mexico, and New Zealand, restricted in Finland, Malaysia, and Singapore, pending restriction in the UK as a drug, and the subject of law suits by attorneys general in several states, says public interest law professor John Banzhaf, Executive Director of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). (New York Moves Towards Total E-Cigarette Ban, Tobacco Facts, 4/29/2010) Even Russia has proposed to ban electronic cigarettes - until the manufacturers have carried out clinical studies and toxicity analysis.(Russia - electronic cigarettes to be banned..)

The FDA is “studying the opinion and considering next steps,” Jeffrey Ventura, a spokesman for the agency, said in an e-mailed statement.

Non-profit health organizations such as The American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, have called for e-cigarettes to be removed from the market.

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, criticized the decision. “This ruling invites the creation of a wild west of products containing highly addictive nicotine, an alarming prospect for public health,” the group said in an e-mailed statement. “We urge the government to appeal this ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.”

The American Heart Association.. “We’re gravely concerned about the implications of today’s ruling,” association chief executive Nancy Brown said in a statement. “The appeals court has cleared the way for the industry to peddle these products to consumers without any scrutiny as to their safety or efficacy.Reference: FDA Loses Appeal, Can't Regulate Electronic Cigarettes as Drug, Court Says by Don Jeffrey (djeffrey1@bloomberg.net), editor responsible for this story: David E. Rovella (drovella@bloomberg.net), Bloomberg.com, 12/7/2010; E-Cigarettes Win Appeals Ruling by DUFF WILSON, The New York Times, 12/7/2010.